Greggs Gypsy Gal 6/5/2005 - 8/25/2017

Her last picture

Our sweet Gypsy left us yesterday. Our hearts are broken.

Sandi and I became more concerned about her condition on Thursday. She was having difficulty standing and getting up and down stairs by that time. We had to carry her from place to place. That evening we all went out in the backyard for "poodle" time. Gypsy tried to rally. She limped out into the yard and tried her best to play with Dino. She pawed at Dino like she usually does but couldn't get a squeak out of him. So she just stood over Dino while Red ran laps around her. This would usually turn into a game of tag but Gypsy couldn't begin to run. I went out and carried her back up onto the deck, laying her on the sofa. We could tell she was in pain and her breathing was labored. We sat and pet her for some time. She looked up at me and her eyes were dull, not bright as usual. And then I noticed that for the first time in her life she wasn't smiling. She just had a different look to her. We knew it was time.

That night she laid on the floor sleeping while Red was sleeping on the other side if the room. They both woke at the same time. Gypsy stood up, very shaky at best. Her rear end almost collapsing. Red quietly walked over, raising his head toward Gyp and she leaned over, nuzzling Red and licking his nose. (photo above) I think Gypsy was telling Red that he was now in charge. We were now his humans to care for.

This is all I can do for now. I will give Gypsy a proper send off in a few days.

Thirsty Gypsy

Gypsy has been drinking tons of water. I know that can be a side effect of the steroids. I finally picked it up tonight. She ate three cups of food so that is a good thing but she is stumbling around and seems weak in the hind end. I took her out the side door to go outside and she fell down the steps. Not sure what is going on. She is sleeping now. Hope she is comfortable.

Chill Time

Here are the two amigo's chillin out this past weekend. Red has been a great puppy/dog. He is over a year old now and fits in just fine. Gypsy does ok with him too. She will actually instigate play time with him. He runs laps around her trying to get a game of chase going. Gypsy isn't much on running anymore.

Gypsy Update

Gypsy has been doing fairly well. She is on "happy pills" that make her a bit loopy but, takes the edge off. We had a big storm the other night with lots of thunder and lightening. She usually will cower in fear during these. She just looked up at me and laid back down and napped. So I guess that was a good thing. She is also on a steroid. We HAVE to get some weight on her. She is totally a bag of bones. One of the side effects of steroids is increased appetite. She has been eating a bit better. Sandi has been warming chicken broth and mixing that with her kibble. If she eats it all she then gets a slice of that refrigerated dog food.
Besides being thin as a rail she seems happy and healthy. She and Red continue to play and run around in the backyard. I walk them together and she is still on the lookout for bunnies and other furry things.

Gypsy Drama

I know that I've been missing in action. Summer came and things got busy, what can I say.
Anyway, I was given a reminder of the whole reason behind doing this blog. That is to have something to remember Gypsy down the road. We had a bit of a scare with Gyp this past week so, here I am blogging.

Sandi called in hysterics on Monday saying she was rushing Gypsy to the Vet. Gypsy was on the deck and when Sandi went out to check on her, she saw that Gypsy had violent diarrhea with a bunch of blood. We left her with the Vet and she had a few more butt explosions there. Turns out she was suffering from canine HGE. They aren't really sure what causes it but many think it can be caused by stress. Over the last few months we've seen a change in Gypsy. She is way more nervous and anxious when Sandi and I are not around. She has lost a few more pounds and hardly eats. So the Vet did some blood work and took xrays. She apparently is in the early stages of Cushings and her liver is a reason for concern. Four days later we brought her home along with a bag of pills. One of the prescriptions is for Doggie Happy Pills. Hopefully these will take the edge off, reducing the stress, and eliminating the HGE. I will continue to try to find the magic mix of food that will entice her to eat. When we brought her home I gave her some kibble with scrambled eggs mixed in and she gobbled it up. this morning I made her some and she turned her nose up at it.

I"ll keep posting on my quirky Gypsy Gal.